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The members only forum have some very unique posts in there. Some of them are quite personally revealing and trust the good faith of the donating members. That's only to say the more donations are motivated by the welfare of the community the less the forums are likely to be abused. Folks who donate for the support of the community are a different ilk than those simply gratuitously seeking extra goodies. At least in my mind. The mysteries are revealed if people care to look behind the curtains. Just my own two cents. And worth every penny.

I may be slow... But I sure am gimpy.

"Bless you child, when you set out to thread a needle don't hold the thread still and fetch the needle up to it; hold the needle still and poke the thread at it; that's the way a woman most always does, but a man always does t'other way."
Mrs. Loftus to Huck Finn

Live on the wild side, read before you sign!

Originally Posted by Comet_Seeker

Nowadays, I don't think anyone reads ANY TOS. When I have people sign release forms for a team I coach, I tell them to read all fine print. I usually tell them they are actually co-signing a morgage for me

We have a Car/Truck Rental Agency, people will not read the contracts they sign, they just want to know where to sign, they initial where the contract states that they have read what they signed. We also clearly post that a credit check will be run before a vehicle can be rented, that a credit card or a debit card may be used to rent the vehicle, however a credit rating of over 625 is required plus enough money to meet the deposit and rental.

People are always angry when they plan on renting and do not meet the standards. We tell them when they reserve, again before we run their credit check. We also encourage them to check their personal insurance to be sure the vehicle is covered under their policy. It is the rare person who will take the time to confirm insurance coverage.

Yep, worth every penny! Keep responding to the responses here and you'll have your 50 posts by nights end. Always welcome the new people too, it makes them feel good when you notice them and it helps your post count so it's a win, win.

Just want to second the proposal that somwhere, e.g. in a sticky or in a special link up in the navigation banner, the possibility of donations and the priviliges gained, is clearly highlighted. It will help people (like me) get their eyes up for the possibility in the first place, and as a general rule I believe in informing people what they get for their money.

There's already a link in the navbar. It simply links to the donation page, rather than try to convince people to do so. Why? Because we feel it really is a donation rather than a subscription. The main thing is that donators know that they are chipping in to support the operational costs of the site.

The admins and mods all work as volunteers, so all funds go directly toward operational overhead (colocation, server, software, bandwidth, etc).

As a thanks for those who donate, there are a few perks -
- Access to the Off-topic forums (currently there are subs for Roundtable Off-Topic, Backpacks, Camp Kitchen, Clothing, Cutlery, Other Gear and DIY, Paddling)
- Greatly expanded PM limit
- Ability to disable banners
- Donating Member title
- Knowledge that you are supporting HF

That all being said, we welcome anyone that just wants to use the on-topic hammock related discussion forums that are free and open to all. That is the reason HF was founded, and is the primary site mission.

“I think that when the lies are all told and forgot the truth will be there yet. It dont move about from place to place and it dont change from time to time. You cant corrupt it any more than you can salt salt.” - Cormac McCarthy

There's already a link in the navbar. It simply links to the donation page, rather than try to convince people to do so. Why? Because we feel it really is a donation rather than a subscription. The main thing is that donators know that they are chipping in to support the operational costs of the site.

The admins and mods all work as volunteers, so all funds go directly toward operational overhead (colocation, server, software, bandwidth, etc).

As a thanks for those who donate, there are a few perks -
- Access to the Off-topic forums (currently there are subs for Roundtable Off-Topic, Backpacks, Camp Kitchen, Clothing, Cutlery, Other Gear and DIY, Paddling)
- Greatly expanded PM limit
- Ability to disable banners
- Donating Member title
- Knowledge that you are supporting HF

That all being said, we welcome anyone that just wants to use the on-topic hammock related discussion forums that are free and open to all. That is the reason HF was founded, and is the primary site mission.

Ah, I must have been blind.. clicked a link in a post to get there myself.. Anyway, I still think it could be worth outlining those bullets on that page (exactly as you wrote them here), not to necessarily convince anyone but just to show what there's in it in a clear and transparent manner.